It Had to Be Done
by ATudorRose
Summary: One-shot with a prologue, set right at the end of The Dark Knight Rises. Selina's POV, was it all in vain? SPOILERS!
1. Prologue

**Hi there, this is my first attempt at a Batman fict! Set right at the end of The Dark Knight Rises, contains spoilers for almost the entire movie. **

**Enjoy!**

Regret is a feeling that the infamous cat burglar Selina Kyle is not familiar with. So, when the iron gate slammed shut and the raspy voice of Bane revealed Batman to be none other than Bruce Wayne himself, Selina was taken off guard by the sharp stab of guilt and regret in her stomach. She was doing what she had to in order to keep her head – but that offered her no consolation as the snap of Bruce's back echoed throughout the underground tunnels. All she could do was turn her back and walk away, those steps back up into the dying city of Gotham being the hardest of her entire life. Nothing she could do would spare her the pain of what she had done, and the constant ache in the pit of her stomach was starting to distract her from her work and throw her off her game. Not that she would ever show it. She was a harsh woman who had clawed her way to survival by relying on her own wits and steering well clear of any sort of emotional attachments to men, using them as mere tools to help her get where she wanted, and she was going to try her damned hardest not to throw that away – no matter what billionaire had caught her heart. Selina Kyle's only moment of visible weakness would come when Blake would ask after the fate of Batman. But he had returned – alive and well – and Selina had thrown away her only hope of escape to help him save his beloved city, and then to save him. But her efforts had been for nothing, as she kissed him roughly and desperately she knew it was the last time, the last chance, and she was unable to watch the blinding flash as the bomb exploded out over the water, saving the city and ending the life of Bruce Wayne. It had all been in vain.

Or had it?

**Stay tuned for the main part, which will be posted either tonight or tomorrow morning! I'd love to hear your thoughts! **


	2. It Had to Be Done

**As promised, here is the one-shot! Thank you to those of you who alerted and added this to your favorites list! Means the world to me! Enjoy!**

One week after the explosion, she found that she was still in her flat, unable to leave her eccentric take on the life of a poor jewel thief and the city that meant everything to the lone man who had caught the heart she had forgotten she possessed. She was tired and beaten down, like the city that had just been spared, and was less than shocked to discover on the morning after the bang that she didn't have much spirit left in her. She had roamed the ravaged streets collecting what she needed through both legal and illegal means with a distinct attitude of disinterest to the chaos of a city hoping for redemption. Batman had made his mark on her though; she could no longer simply walk past a young boy being robbed of the little food he could get his hands on or a young girl being grabbed by scum escaped from the Narrows. She becomes a sort of guardian angel to her neighborhood kids – but never like the Batman was. She doesn't chase down criminals or hunt for revenge, simply stops what she sees and protects only those young enough to be unable to protect themselves. She settled into this role quickly, but something was always hanging in the back of her mind. Don't become attached. Attachments are weaknesses – she knows this – and the more attached to these kids she becomes, the harder it will be to leave Gotham when she can no longer find a reason to stay. That was _his_ greatest weakness, the one that got him killed in the end – and if Selina Kyle had ever learnt anything, it was not to repeat others mistakes.

She was curled up in her chair, much like her namesake, wrapped up in an old raggy blanket watching Lt. Gordon reassure the scrambling city that order would be restored on her little old tv. The power had finally come back, and the first order of business had been to put the commissioner in front of the camera so the old war hero could do what he does best – provide a connection between the people of Gotham and their idol. As he went on to praise the memory of Gotham's greatest hero, the Batman, she couldn't help but let out a small sob – the first in her life. So it is impossible to describe the emotions that flooded her body and the pure shock that overrode them all when a deep, gravelly voice came from the shadows of her dim lit flat.

"Had a feeling I might find you here."

Selina spun around in the chair, jumping about a mile when she saw none other than Bruce Wayne standing in the corner, half covered in shadow. Gone was the bat-suit and cowl, replaced by a plain black t-shirt and jeans, something she had never seen him in before. For the first time in her life, she was completely speechless; too shocked by the return of her dead companion, the man she thought she had finally lost forever, to say anything. Selina wasn't even sure if he was really there. She stood slowly, numbly bringing her hand up to her face to wipe away a stray tear before she padded her way over to him. Heavy silence hung in the room as she came to stand before him and reached out her hand, gently stroking his cheek with the very tips of her fingers. Once she had convinced herself that he was real and not some crazy hallucination, her hand fell away and snapped back in a forceful slap, echoing through the still silent room and leaving a red patch on his sharp cheekbone.

"I know I deserved that. But it had to be done, the necessary evil. "

"You came back."

"Of course I did."

And without another word they came together, neither one knowing who reached out first, neither one caring. They finally had the time and privacy to kiss they way they wanted to, rough, raw, uninhibited and full of the darker passion that drove each of them in their pursuits, whatever they may be. It was all tongues and teeth as he pulled her flush against him and her back arched in even further, pushing him back into the corner that he came from. He spun them around just before he hit the wall, picking her up and pushing her back against the wall simultaneously. Her legs curled around him, eliminating the last remnants of space between them, molding her to him. His hands slid up and down the silk of her thighs, grazing her core and sending shivers up and down her spine as she clawed at his back, her own hands dancing beneath his thin t-shirt and dipping below his waistline. He broke away with a gasp, returning to her neck and biting her pulse point making her release her own breath and throw her head back to rest against the wall. He left marks all down her neck, loving the feeling of her nails on his skin and her breath in his hair. Panting, the two of them stumbled down the hallway to her bedroom, crashing down onto the bed without once breaking contact. They are like starved creatures; devouring each other, stoking the flames, trying to set the room alight with passion.

The next morning before Selina even opened her eyes she was happy. She was _happy_ to feel the skin of a man on her cheek, happy to be encased in arms much stronger than her own, _overjoyed _that someone else's heartbeat pounded steady against her ear and a calm, cool breath blew across the top of her head. She was tangled up in him to the point of total immobility and found that she didn't mind one single bit. Gently craning her neck, she could look up at his face, using this time to make a study of his strong, singular features. Safe in the knowledge that Gotham was no longer under attack and immeasurably close to the woman that had stolen his heart, the lines of worry and anguish had dropped from his brow, smoothing out the plains of his face, highlighting a sturdy jaw line and heavy-set eyes. Those eyes opened, revealing deep, hazel eyes that held within them a lifetime or sadness and anger yet still shone with a gentle hope for the future. He was everything she had ever dreamed of in a man – on the rare occasion that she let her mind wander down that road – strong, independent, and full of conviction. She knew that this union wouldn't be an easy one, such powerful and solitary beings couldn't possibly co-exist without a little bloodshed, but staring into eyes gleaming with admiration and _love, _Selina Kyle knew it would be a union always worth fighting for.

**So there we have it. I've got a few other drabbles swirling around in my head that may or may not pop up here. Thanks for reading and I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear what you thought! I mean, just look at that lovely review box…. Isn't it just calling to you?**

**ATRose Xxx**

**(Oh and PMs are welcome!)**


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